Cooperation in the Black Sea to be Discussed

ROMANIA and BULGARIA - EU Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, is to visit Romania and Bulgaria on 29 and 30 March, respectively, to discuss maritime and fisheries-related issues and cooperation in the Black Sea basin.

Ministers, members of national parliaments and stakeholders are her other interlocutors.

The Romanian part of the trip will focus more on aquaculture, with the Commissioner visiting a fish farm. In Bulgaria, fisheries issues will dominate the agenda.

On 29 March Commissioner Damanaki will speak at a conference "EU policies at the Black Sea: enhancing regional cooperation" held in Bucharest by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.

Ms Damanaki said: "My visit is going to focus on fisheries and integrated maritime policy issues - with a strong Black Sea angle. Cooperation is of strategic importance for the Black Sea region. The countries around the basin need to enhance cooperation to tackle the challenges such as illegal fishing or pollution, and to make most of the opportunities in trade or tourism. The Commission stands ready to facilitate this process".